Not only did the capture of the convoy deprive Zaarin of much-needed supplies, but interrogation of its crew revealed the location of a refitting base near Gwar that Zaarin was using as a marshaling area ahead of a planned ambush operation. Seeing the opportunity to catch Zaarin off-guard, Kuuztin decided to launch an immediate preemptive strike on the facility without seeking authorization from Thrawn. After arriving in the system, the Courageous and its starfighters set about destroying the base. However, with the arrival of the Star DestroyersThunderer and Imperator, and several flights of TIE Defenders, it became clear that Kuuztin had led his forces into a trap.[2] Though Stele was able to escape to safety in his Missile Boat, Kuuztin and his crew remained trapped aboard the Courageous, which was destroyed by a barrage of proton bombs.[4]

Despite the loss of the Courageous, Kuuztin's attack resulted in the destruction of Zaarin's Immobilizer 418 cruiserBomb and the Nebulon-B2 frigatesKuma 1, Kuma 2, and Kuma 3, leaving the losses roughly equal.[2] Partly in retribution for the Courageous's destruction, Thrawn subsequently planned his own trap for Zaarin, using a shipment of Missile Boats as bait to draw the renegade out.[4]

Kuuztin was a skilled commander whose reputation for bravery led to him being handpicked by Grand Admiral Thrawn to take part in the toughest operations of the Zaarin campaign. He was also ambitious and overconfident—qualities that proved to be his undoing. Upon learning that Zaarin was marshaling his forces for an attack, Kuuztin decided not to alert Thrawn and to instead risk an immediate attack. The captain believed that a swift victory over Zaarin would lead to a promotion and the chance to replace Thrawn as leader of the task force. However, the ill-planned attack instead led to the destruction of the Courageous and Kuuztin's death.[2]

Kuuztin was created for the 1995LucasArtsvideo gameStar Wars: TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM and is mentioned in mission briefings for the first three missions of the previously unreleased "Enemies of the Empire" campaign and in in-mission communications during the second mission, in which the character is killed when the Courageous is destroyed.